Nice space, shame about the price

The good news is that hog farmers probably don’t have to worry about finding buyers for pigs this fall. The bad news is that there’s not much reason to hope for substantially higher prices. “We’ve still got to sell the pork,” said Hams Marketing’s Tyler Fulton when looking at the combination of low hog prices […] Read more

Minneapolis-based Pipeline Foods Inc. bought elevators at Gull Lake, Sask. as part of its plans to buy organic grain in Canada.  |  Pipeline Foods photos

U.S. company has big plans for organic supply chain

A new organic grain company that acquired two wooden crib grain elevators in southern Saskatchewan says more investments will be announced soon. Pipeline Foods Inc., based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recently bought elevators at Wapella and Gull Lake. The elevators, both located along the Trans-Canada Highway, have been buying organic and non-genetically modified crops since early […] Read more

NAFTA talks proceed in tense atmosphere

Depending on whom you listen to, talks to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement are moving at “warp speed” or are “dragging.” Negotiators from the United States and Mexico came north this week to talk with their Canadian counterparts. The talks are going on in a atmosphere of heightened anxiety as American President Donald […] Read more


Ag corporations may need to prepare for tax changes

The proposed tax changes set to come into effect this year and next as a result of the July 18 finance department discussion paper may have significant implications for your farm. My colleagues and I have run various scenarios to determine how clients may be affected, and what we’ve discovered is concerning. Farmers need to […] Read more

Canfax report: Sept. 28. 2017

FED CATTLE EDGE HIGHER The Canfax fed steer weighed average was $134.58 per hundredweight, up 70 cents. There was no heifer average. Packers did not chase cattle, and so feedlots, which are generally current, opted to carry over a large portion of the cash show list. Delivery times were two weeks out. Canadian fed steer […] Read more


WP LIVESTOCK REPORT – Sept. 28, 2017

HOGS FALL AGAIN Hog supply is abundant, and pork prices are falling. The U.S. national live price average for barrows and gilts was US$40 per cwt. Sept. 22, down from $43.12 Sept. 15. U.S. hogs averaged $48.70 on a carcass basis Sept. 22, down from $52.95 Sept. 15. The U.S. pork cutout was $72.70 per […] Read more

IGC raises 2017-18 global grain forecast

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) – The International Grains Council (IGC) has raised its forecast for world grain production in 2017-18, with the crop now expected to be the second-largest in history. The inter-governmental body, in a monthly report published on Thursday, put total grains production at 2.069 billion tonnes, up 19 million tonnes from its […] Read more

VIDEO: Canada’s agricultural markets update – September 27, 2017

VIDEO: Canada’s agricultural markets update – September 27, 2017

D’Arce McMillan, The Western Producer markets editor, monitors trends in the North American and global agricultural markets. Each week he hosts a market video about crops. The video is designed to help viewers understand the forces responsible for changes in the trade. If agricultural markets are important to you, we have you covered.


LIVESTOCK – Cattle drop 3-cent price limit after bearish USDA report

CHICAGO, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures tumbled about 2 percent on Monday after government data on Friday showed bigger-than-expected placements of cattle on feed in August. Most-active CME December live cattle dropped by the daily price limit of 3.000 cents to finish at 114.425 cents per pound, reversing from Friday’s 1-1/2 […] Read more

Cattle hit 1-month high ahead of USDA data, hogs extend losses

CHICAGO, Sept 22 (Reuters) – U.S. live cattle futures jumped to the highest levels in over a month on Friday, lifted by technical buying and expectations for bullish government supply data that was due after the close of trading. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Cattle and Feed report, however, was deemed bearish by analysts, […] Read more